Description
Book SynopsisHow colorblindness in policy and personal practice perpetuate racial inequity in the United States today.
Following the civil rights movement, race relations in the United States entered a new era. Legal gains were interpreted by some as ensuring equal treatment for all and that colorblind policies and programs would be the best way forward. Since then, many voices have called for an end to affirmative action and other color-conscious policies and programs, and even for a retreat from public discussion of racism itself.
Bolstered by the election of Barack Obama, proponents of colorblindness argue that the obstacles faced by blacks and people of color in the United States can no longer be attributed to racism but instead result from economic forces. Thus, they contend, programs meant to uplift working-class and poor people are the best means for overcoming any racial inequalities that might still persist. In Colorblind
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"At every turn and every corner, in every crevice and every crack, Tim Wise debunks the mythology of a 'Color Blind' society with the vigor of a statistician and the passion befitting one of the preeminent anti-racist theorists working today. You will literally lose your breath trying to keep up with the ways that Wise lays waste to the idea that we've achieved anything close to a 'post-race' society. If you don't know who Tim Wise is, you will after this book."--Mark Anthony Neal "A phenomenal book, a great read, you definitely want to check out."--Roland Martin, Tom Joyner Show & CNN "Tim Wise provocatively takes up the bitterness of the contemporary debate over racially charged issues aiming at racial justice and the general nature and implications of liberalism in a nation which faces the troublesome problem of discrimination."--Tribune India "In Colorblind: The Rise of Post-Racial Politics and the Retreat from Racial Equity, author, lecturer, and anti-racism activist Tim Wise gives us a nudge in the right direction. Focusing on disparities in four key areas--employment, education, healthcare, and housing--and drawing upon a wide range of academic studies, Wise pulls back the veil from the face of contemporary 'invisible' racism. He also, simultaneously, points out the ways that so-called 'colorblind' social policies--those which are based on programs meant to 'lift all boats' by raising the overall economic water level for working class and poor people--will actually worsen the problems of racial injustice."--Ann Arbor "In Colorblind, Wise explores the implications of the Obama victory on the country's racial discourse. His disturbing, but quite convincing, conclusion is that the Obama administration's embrace of what Wise calls 'post-racial liberalism'--a combination of race-neutral rhetoric and public policy that avoid race-conscious remedies--makes the challenging of ongoing racism more difficult."--Political Media Review "Wise's powerful and thought-provoking book is aimed at opening the eyes of Americans, by showing them that this country, in 2010, is not a colorblind society."--The Empowerment Initiative Online Newsletter "Tim Wise dismantles the myth that full equality has been won and the playing field is level with hard facts, citing studies that have shown the persistence of institutional racism and white racial preference in all areas, including employment, education and health care."--Kel Munger, Sacramento News and Review "The author of White Like Me returns with the timely and provocative Colorblind, examining the ongoing racial disparities in all aspects of American life in the age of Obama. Wise convincingly argues that by turning a colorblind eye, we not only fail to achieve equality but in fact worsen racial injustice."--Shelf Unbound "A new book by Tim Wise, Colorblind: The Rise of Post-racial Politics and the Retreat from Racial Equity, provides an excellent companion piece to Alexander's New Jim Crow. Wise argues that Barack Obama's appeal to post-racial universalism has been an unmitigated disaster. By refusing to address the tidal wave of racist rhetoric currently engulfing the Republic, Obama has multiplied its power...I urge you to run out and buy a copy of this important book..."--Alan Bean, Friends of Justice "America needs not to 'move beyond' race but to adopt innovative public policies that directly address it. Wise gives specific ideas of what those policies might be."--World Wide Work
